4 Proven Herbs for Naturally Reducing Cholesterol

The importance of lowering your cholesterol levels

As all of us known, heart disease is the NO.1 killer of men and women in the United States, one out of every two men and one out of every three women will get heart disease sometime in their life. Studies have shown that lowering cholesterol can reduce the risk of having a heart attack, so no matter for people with heart disease or without heart disease, it is critical for all adults to have their cholesterol levels tested.

How Can You Lower Your Cholesterol Levels

Your cholesterol level is influenced by several factors, including age, weight, foods you eat, stress, physical activity. People can reduce the cholesterol level by maintaining a healthy lifestyle: keep a healthy weight, eat foods with low saturated fat as well as low trans-fats, do exercise regularly, avoid alcohol, stop smoking and drug treatment.

How Can You Lower Your Cholesterol Levels Simply By Natural Herbs

There are some natural herbs you can include in your diet for managing, reducing and improving your cholesterol levels:

Alfalfa Herb

Studies have shown that alfalfa seeds may help people maintain a healthy cholesterol level by reducing the harmful types of cholesterol(LDL) in the blood while the good kind of cholesterol (HDL) seems to be unaffected. The fibers and chemicals in alfalfa seem to stick to cholesterol, keeping it from staying in the blood.

Besides, alfalfa is packed with vitamins, folic acid, magnesium, potassium, iron and other types of minerals which are all essential for the proper functioning of the various organs in the body. While taking alfalfa in moderation (80-120 grams daily is recommended) as it may cause damage to red blood cells in the body.

Garlic

Since ancient times, garlic has been used for treating several types of diseases, and studies have shown that garlic can help to keep the cholesterol levels in good balance by reducing the serum cholesterol levels while increasing the “good” HDL-cholesterol levels.

And garlic can lower your cholesterol levels without any side effects as other drug treatments, in addition to reducing blood pressure, protecting against infections and preventing blood clots. So if you want to keep a positive cholesterol levels, try to add this super herb to your meals.

Policosanol

As a herb obtained from sugar cane, policosanol has been shown to be effective in reducing cholesterol levels in the body by breaking down the LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and it does not increase the blood sugar too. Researches have found that policosanol is particularly beneficial for postmenopausal women with high cholesterol levels.

5-10mg per day of this supplement is suggested by experts for lowering your cholesterol levels and should not take more than 20mg in one day.

Green Tea

Green tea is a wonderful antioxidant and has been shown to prevent the absorption of cholesterol in the digestive tract, making it a good tool for reducing the cholesterol levels.

A research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who drink green tea for some months, have around 2% lower of the “bad” cholesterol levels than those who didn’t have green tea, and at the same time, the “good” cholesterol was not being affected.

Other Healthy Habits to Reduce Your Cholesterol Levels

Cholesterol is something that you can control by using some of the herbal treatments as well as other healthy lifestyle habits too:

– Try to limit the high cholesterol foods

– Make sure to eat enough healthy vegetables and fruits every day, as the fiber they providing may help to lower the risk of heart disease

– Limit foods which are naturally high in fat

– Adopt some form of exercise

– Keep your cholesterol levels tested sometimes every year, for managing and controlling it in a good manne